"Supreme Court Panel Proposes Ecosystem Framework for Aravalli Hills Definition"
Aravalli Ecosystem Landscape
A proposed framework treating the Aravallis as an interconnected ecological system, not just a terrain feature.
High-Powered Committee (HPC)
A Supreme Court-constituted expert body tasked with defining, delineating, and recommending conservation measures for the Aravallis.
The Aravalli Hills are among the world's oldest mountain ranges, formed during the Precambrian Era over a billion years ago. The range stretches approximately 700 kilometres across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. The Aravallis perform critical ecological functions: they act as a natural barrier against the advancing Thar Desert, recharge groundwater aquifers, sustain river systems, and support biodiversity including leopards, migratory birds, and tribal communities.
Environmental governance of the Aravallis has been contested for decades. The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 provide the primary legislative framework for protecting ecologically sensitive zones. The Supreme Court has been an active actor in Aravalli protection since the 1990s, restricting mining and construction through successive orders. Despite these interventions, enforcement has remained patchy. A central reason is that the legal boundary of what constitutes 'Aravalli Hills' was never conclusively settled, creating a definitional vacuum that mining and real-estate interests have repeatedly exploited.
This vacuum became acute when an Environment Secretary-led panel proposed in late 2025 that the Aravallis be defined as landforms with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) warned that this benchmark would exclude nearly 90 per cent of the range from protection. The Supreme Court initially accepted the definition but stayed its implementation in December 2025 after investigative reporting revealed that the panel had suppressed the FSI's objections and ignored the court's own 2010 rejection of the same 100-metre benchmark.
The core question is: what counts as 'Aravalli Hills' for environmental protection? The answer has enormous regulatory consequences. A narrow terrain-based definition, such as the 100-metre elevation threshold, would remove most of the range from the ambit of forest and environmental laws, effectively opening it to mining, quarrying, and construction. A broader, ecosystem-based definition would bring in forests, wetlands, groundwater-recharge zones, and wildlife corridors, but would also impose restrictions on livelihoods dependent on these activities.
The High-Powered Committee (HPC) constituted by the Supreme Court in May 2026 has now concluded that no single terrain criterion can capture the Aravallis' ecological complexity. Its proposed Aravalli Ecosystem Landscape framework treats the range as an interconnected ecological system. It would combine the core hill system with recorded forests, protected areas, sacred sites, traditional pastures (Orans), wetlands, critical catchments, groundwater-recharge zones, and archaeologically significant areas. …
Policy contradictions among various competing sectors and stakeholders have resulted in inadequate 'protection and prevention of degradation' to environment. Comment with relevant illustrations.
Achieving sustainable growth with emphasis on environmental protection could come into conflict with poor people's needs in a country like India. Comment.
The process of desertification does not have climatic boundaries. Justify with examples.
Which one of the following has been constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986?
Consider the following statements regarding the Aravalli Hills:
1.The Aravalli Hills are among the world's oldest mountain ranges, formed during the Precambrian Era.
2.The range stretches approximately 700 kilometres across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
3.The Forest Survey of India warned that a 100-metre elevation threshold would exclude nearly 50 per cent of Aravalli hills from protection.
4.The Supreme Court stayed the Environment Ministry's October 2025 Aravalli definition report in December 2025.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to the Aravalli Hills and their environmental governance, consider the following statements:
1.The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 is the primary legislation under which the Central Ground Water Authority has been constituted.
2.The Supreme Court's High-Powered Committee proposed treating the Aravallis as an interconnected ecological system rather than a terrain-defined landform.
3.The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 provides for the constitution of the National Green Tribunal.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court's role in Aravalli Hills protection:
1.The Supreme Court had rejected the 100-metre elevation benchmark for defining the Aravallis as early as 2010.
2.The Supreme Court constituted the High-Powered Committee (HPC) to examine Aravalli definition and conservation in May 2026.
3.The Supreme Court's advisory jurisdiction was invoked to seek the HPC's opinion on the Aravalli definition.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Landscape/Body — Role in Aravalli Ecosystem Landscape framework proposed by the HPC
1.Orans — Traditional community pastures proposed for inclusion
2.Vindhyan hill systems — Examined for ecological links with the Aravallis
3.Copernicus 30-metre DEM — Used for independent validation of results
4.National Remote Sensing Centre — Identified as an independent validation body
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
The 'Aravalli Ecosystem Landscape' framework proposed by the Supreme Court's High-Powered Committee is best described as:
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